MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle interviewed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, and even during the broadcast, Ruhle was making excuses for the presidential candidate’s ongoing struggle to provide clear answers about her policies.
Ruhle told fellow MSNBC host Chris Hayes, “One could watch and say she didn’t give a clear and direct answer. And that’s okay, because we’re not talking about clear and direct issues.”
Ruhle: "One could watch and say she didn't give a clear and direct answer. And that's okay, because we're not talking about clear and direct issues."
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 25, 2024
Embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/gxsNDzRXAV
Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party’s candidate largely by default when President Joe Biden was pressured out of the race by influential party members and major donors. Despite never winning a primary vote on her own merits, she quickly rose to the top of her party’s ticket. However, since then, she has seldom taken questions and even less frequently attempted to answer them.
Her efforts on Wednesday seemed to miss the mark, as evidenced by Ruhle’s quick attempts to cover for her. Several clips of her responses indicated that she was once again offering the same rambling, unclear non-answers that have characterized her vice presidency.
When asked about her plans to combat price gouging—which she has pledged to address despite lacking evidence that it is occurring—she deflected the question.
“So, just to be very frank, I am never going to apologize for going after companies and corporations that take advantage of the desperation of the American people,” Harris said, but made no real move to answer the question. Instead, she rambled some more about disasters like weather-related events or the COVID pandemic and repeated her promise to prevent price gouging.
“Yes, I’m going to go after them, yeah, I’m going to go after them, and that’s part of a more comprehensive plan on what we can do to bring down the cost of living, including housing, including the everyday needs of the American people,” she continued.
Kamala fails to explain how she plans on tackling "price gouging" without implementing price controls.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 25, 2024
That's exactly what her plan is — Venezuelan style price controls. pic.twitter.com/zcboNd9mTU
Ruhle’s interview, as highlighted by MSNBC’s Public Relations team, was Harris’ first solo network appearance since becoming the candidate. Although she had participated in a pre-recorded interview with CNN anchor Dana Bash, her running mate, Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), was present for that segment. Before securing the interview, Ruhle argued on comedian Bill Maher’s show that it was irrelevant whether Harris addressed any substantive policy questions, claiming the key point was that she was not former President Donald Trump.
